Zanjeer () is a 1973 Indian Hindi-language action crime film directed and produced by Prakash Mehra and written by Salim–Javed. The film stars Amitabh Bachchan, Jaya Bhaduri, Pran, Ajit Khan, Om Prakash and Bindu. The music was composed by Kalyanji-Anandji, while cinematography and editing were handled by N. Satyen and R. Mahadik.
Zanjeer was the first of many collaborations between Salim–Javed and Bachchan. Ever since Zanjeer, Salim–Javed wrote many of their subsequent scripts with Bachchan for the lead role and insisted on him being cast for their later films, including blockbusters such as Deewaar and Sholay, establishing Bachchan as a superstar. Zanjeer was written as a crime film with violent action sequences, and the main character Vijay was conceived as a hard-hitting, 'angry with the system' young man. The role of the lead was first offered to many leading men of the time, including Raaj Kumar, Rajesh Khanna, Dharmendra, Dev Anand and Dilip Kumar, but they turned down the offer. Eventually, it went to a newcomer, Amitabh Bachchan and established his career.
Salim-Javed were responsible for discovering and casting Bachchan. At the time, Bachchan was a "failed newcomer" who, by the age of 30, had twelve flops and only two hits (as a lead in Bombay to Goa and supporting role in Anand). According to Bachchan, Salim-Javed were close to Rajesh Khanna and could've convinced him to play the role, but they instead opted for the unknown Bachchan. According to Salim Khan, they "strongly felt that Amitabh was the ideal casting for Zanjeer". Bachchan stated "Salim-Javed saw a fight sequence in Bombay to Goa where I was chewing gum throughout the fight as an indicator that I would be the right choice for Zanjeer.”
Soundtrack
The music was composed by Kalyanji Anandji and the lyrics were written by Prakash Mehra, with the exception of 'Yaari Hai Imaan Mera', which was penned by Gulshan Bawra.
Box office
With a total domestic Indian gross revenue of Indian rupee|6 crore in 1973, including a nett collection of 3 crore, the film was declared a "Super Hit" according to Box Office India. This was equivalent to a domestic gross of US$7.75 million in 1973, or US$ million ( 282 crore) Its overseas gross in the Soviet Union amounted to 9.325 million Rbls (US$14.58 million, 11.46 crore), equivalent to US$ million ( 282 crore) in 2016.